NOTE: 1984 Photo: old Siófok synagogue. The Siófok cemetery maintained after by the local Israeli-Hungarian Friendship Society. This cemetery/ton many be another "Siofok" in Somogy. "Siofok" - Encyclopedia of Jewish Communities in Hungary [March 2009]
CEMETERY: Located at 4654 1803, 63.8 miles SW of Budapest, the present population is 25,000 - 100,000 with fewer than 100 Jews.
- Mayor: BOLASH ARPA (mayor) Tel 36 84 504100
- Regional authority: LASLO HARASI Tel 36 84 310118
The Jewish community in Siofok dates from 1850. Jewish population as of last census before World War II was 3,000. Noteworthy individual who lived in this landmarked Jewish community was Kalman Emeric (opera singer). Date Jewish cemetery was established in1860. Date of last known Jewish burial in this Orthodox (Sephardic and Hasidic) cemetery is 2002.The suburban cemetery on flat land has no sign or marker. The cemetery is reached by turning directly off a public road Access to the cemetery is open to all via a broken fence and a gate that does not lock. Approximate size of cemetery before World War II was 2000 sq meters.
100 to 500 gravestones are in original location with 20 to 100 not in original location. More than 75% of surviving stones are toppled or broken. The location of stones that have been removed from the cemetery is not known. All have been catalogued and photographed. Vegetation overgrowth in the cemetery is a constant problem, disturbing and damaging stones. Water drainage is a seasonal problem. No special sections. The oldest grave dates from 1850. The marble and granite tombstones and memorial markers are] flat stones with carved relief decoration and double tombstones, some with traces of painting on their surfaces. Inscriptions on tombstones are in Hebrew and Hungarian. The cemetery contains special memorial monuments to Holocaust victims. No known mass graves
The national Jewish community and the municipality own the site used for Jewish cemetery only. Properties adjacent to cemetery are agricultural and residential. The cemetery is visited frequently by private visitors (Jewish or non-Jewish) and local residents. The cemetery was vandalized occasionally, between 1981 and 1991. Care has been taken of the cemetery includes cleaning stones, clearing vegetation, and gate repair.
Responsible for the work was a Netantya childrens project in 1994. Vandalism has occurred since. Current care is occasional clearing or cleaning by individuals and a caretaker paid by the Jewish Congregation of Budapest. Only structure within the cemetery is the tomb of the Bruk family.
Zeev Oren at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. completed this survey on March 2004 using Jews of Siofok by Machico Sebastian Joseph. Oren visited in 2003.
NOTE: Netanya and Siofok are twin cities, but Netanya is unable to help financially. Contact Zeev Oren for more information and to discuss restoration work for the site. The sum of about $4-5000 is needed to carry out basic repair work. [March 2004]